This wonton soup is quick and easy to make, brimming with pillowy dumplings stuffed with cabbage and carrots that are dancing in a nutty and savory broth. It’s the best!
Wonton soup is one those dishes I could eat every day.
I love its simplicity and the delicate flavors of the broth and the dumplings. I find that the less it’s fussed with, the better it is. It never disappoints!
I’ve been meaning to create a recipe for wonton soup for quite some time but wasn’t sure how to go about it without the use of ground pork (I stopped eating meat three years ago for both health and ethical reasons). Then I discovered a place in Brooklyn that served the best vegetable wonton soup!
It was one of those aha moments: “Hey, guess what! I can make really amazing wonton soup with just veggies. Wonderful!”
So today I would like to introduce to you my version of wonton soup and I hope you love it as much as I do. Both Ben and I are gaga for it! So much so that I always make extra dumplings to freeze so I can make more soup as soon as we run out.
What is Wonton Soup?
Wonton soup is a simple soup dish with a clear broth, usually made with chicken or shrimp, that is served with wonton dumplings (also spelled wantan or wuntun) filled with a mixture of vegetables, ginger, minced pork, and shrimp.
There are many different types of wonton soups in China but the one described above is the quintessential one we have come to associate it with, here in the Western world.
Ingredients for Wonton Soup
- Broth: A mixture of water, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, sesame oil and Ajinomoto (optional).
- Wonton wrappers: Look for round wonton wrappers that are 3.5 inches in diameter. If you cannot find wonton wrappers, you can use dumpling wrappers which are slightly thicker. But do stay away from Shanghai style dumpling wrappers since the dough is tougher and quite thick.
- Wonton filling: A mixture of finely chopped cabbage, carrot, scallions, sesame oil, salt and pepper.
- Spinach: Using spinach is optional but I personally love chewing on tender leaves while sipping the delicate broth.
- Scallions: Adding chopped scallions is also optional but highly recommended since it adds a nice crunch and a little sweetness to the soup.
Filling Variations
- Ground pork: For pork lovers, substitute ground pork for half of the chopped cabbage and follow the recipe.
- Shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp and chop into small pieces. Then substitute the shrimp for half of the chopped cabbage and follow the recipe.
- Ground pork and shrimp: This is the classic combination for wonton soup filling. Substitute the chopped shrimp and ground pork mixture for half of the chopped cabbage and follow the recipe.
- Mushrooms: Use chopped shiitake mushrooms or button mushrooms and add it to the filling mixture – minus half of the chopped cabbage.
How to Make Wonton Soup
- Make the broth by stirring the water, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and Ajinomoto in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Make the wonton filling by mixing the cabbage, carrot, scallions, sesame oil, salt, and pepper, in a bowl.
- Grab a wonton wrapper and scoop up approximately 2 teaspoons of filling. Place the filling in the center of the wrapper and wet the edges of the wrapper by dipping your index finger in water and running it across the edges.
- Fold the wrapper in half moon shape, and gently press to seal the edges. Grab the corners and bring them in the center of the wonton, gently pressing one corner on top of the other.
- Repeat until all the wontons are made and set aside.
- Bring the soup back to a boil and add the wontons. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, covered with a lid.
- Turn the heat off and stir in the spinach. Serve the soup in individual bowls and top with chopped scallions and more white pepper, if needed.
To make wonton egg drop soup:
Whisk 1 or 2 eggs and slowly add them to the soup stirring constantly in a zigzag motion with a fork or chopsticks. Do this at the last stage, once the wontons are cooked.
Can I Freeze Wonton Soup?
You can freeze the uncooked wonton and the broth so long as they are kept separate. To do so, save the broth in an airtight storage container and put it in the freezer.
For the wontons, place them on a plate leaving a little space between each of them and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until the wontons are cold, transfer them to an airtight storage bag or container, and put them in the freezer.
To cook, you don’t need to let them thaw, just add them to a pot along with the frozen broth and turn the heat to medium. The soup is ready to eat once the broth is bubbling and hot!
Is Wonton Soup Vegan?
This one is!
Just make sure that no eggs are used in the wonton wrappers by looking at the ingredients list on the package.
Most wonton soups aren’t vegan though since the filling usually contains a mixture of pork and shrimp.
What to Serve with Wonton Soup
This is a light and fairly mild soup that pairs well with just about anything. The only thing I personally don’t like to serve this soup with is with another dish containing noodles (since the wonton wrappers are essentially noodles). Too many carbs in one sitting leaves me feeling a little too bloated!
Here are my favorite dishes to pair this delicious wonton soup with:
- Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce
- Korean cucumber salad
- Honey sriracha tofu
- Japanese cabbage salad
- Green salad with Japanese ginger carrot dressing
Did you like this Vegetable Wonton Soup Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
PrintVegetable Wonton Soup (馄饨汤)
This wonton soup is quick and easy to make, brimming with pillowy dumplings stuffed with cabbage and carrots that are dancing in a nutty and savory broth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the broth:
- 6 cups water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Dash of Ajinomoto (optional)
For the wontons:
- 1 cup cabbage, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 16–18 wonton wrappers
Other:
- Handful baby spinach (optional)
- Chopped scallions (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add all the ingredients for the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Put the cabbage, carrots, scallions, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
- Lay the wonton wrappers on a flat surface and place a small bowl of water next to them. Scoop about 2 teaspoons of filling and place it in the center of a wrapper. Repeat until all the wrappers have filling.
- Dip your index finger and wet the edges of a wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton in half moon shape, and gently press to seal the edges. Grab the corners and bring them in the center of the wonton, gently pressing one corner on top of the other. Gently seal with a little water if needed. Place the wonton on a plate and cover with a lid or towel to prevent it from drying. Repeat until all the wonton are made.
- Bring the soup back to a boil and lower to a simmer. Gently add the wontons, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, stir in the spinach and serve with freshly chopped scallions and white ground pepper.
Notes
The soup cannot be saved for later once it’s cooked since the wontons will lose their shape and get soggy.
If you’d like to save some:
- Save the broth separately in an airtight storage container in the fridge. It will last for 4-5 days. You can freeze the broth too, it will keep for much longer, up to 1 month.
- Save the wontons raw by laying them flat on a plate or cooking tray and covering them with a towel or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the for at least 1 hour and once they are cold, transfer them to a storage bag or container and freeze them.
When you are ready to make more soup, place the cold or frozen broth and frozen wontons in a pot and reheat. Bring the soup to a boil and turn the heat off. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 3.3g
- Sodium: 663mg
- Fat: 2.9g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25.g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 4.2g
- Cholesterol: 2.9mg
Perfect! Very tasty and authentic
★★★★★
I like to experiment on the kind of fillings I use in molo/wonton soup and see which ones become my fave. I have to say that pork with little bits of seafood are a great combo for me.
★★★★★
Really loved this. I didn’t have cabbage, but used green peas, carrot and mushroom in the wontons. I made the mistake of forming the wontons a few hours earlier and placing them in the fridge, covered, on parchment paper. They didn’t hold up well, and I had to wrap each one in an additional wrapper. They were still delicious, but now I know better. I didn’t have the ahinomoto, but I added 2 dried mushrooms to the broth to add a little extra flavor. I appreciated the delicate flavor of the broth, but both my husband and son have requested that next time I add a little more soy sauce to it. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
★★★★★
That’s wonderful Jenni! If you can find Ajinomoto I highly recommend it, it adds another layer of flavor that’s so addictive 🙂